Drapery supporting device



March 8, 1955 A. D. SARKISIAN 2,703,429

DRAPERY SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Sept. 5, 1952 INVENTOR. Arihur D. Surkisian ATTORNEY United States Patent DRAPERY SUPPORTING DEVICE Arthur D. Sarlrisian, Forest Hills, N. Y. Application September 5, 1952, Serial No. 307,992

1 Claim. (CI. 16-93) This invention relates to curtain and drapery hardware.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel, simple, inexpensive and practicable curtain or drapery supporting device adapted to slide back and forth upon a suitable track whereby a curtain or other drapery may be opened and closed, as by drawing.

It is common in the and drapery to provide track members, usually channels of one of a variety of cross sections, and curtain or drapery supporting elements which are slidably or rollably carried on or in such track members. These elements are commonly known by the generic name traverse track carrier, and are the equivalents of trolleys except that some types, including that of the present invention, are adapted only to slide on the track member. These elements are usually provided with a depending hook or eyeletted element adapted to be engaged by a hook secured to the upper edge of a curtain or drape. The track member usually extends from side to side of a window or door near the upper edge thereof, and, by means of pulleys journaled in the ends of the track member and cords working on said pulleys and engaging one or more of the carriers, the curtain or drape may be opened and closed in usual manner.

The cords, by means of which the curtains or drapes are controlled, not only depend at the lateral edges of the Window or door whereby the cords may be conveniently manipulated, but these cords also are usually run through the channel stock comprising the track member. Cords within a channel stock track member are run freely above the so-called traverse track carriers, and, of course, are, in part, supported like a series of catenaries on the tops of the carriers. Thus the carrier structure should be such that no fouling of the draw cords may occur. However, in structures heretofore known, the carriers quite frequently foul and jam the draw cords, thereby causing a condition under which the curtam or drape cannot be moved in either desired direction.

Therefore, it isva special object of the present mvention to provide an improved traverse track carrler, as a novel article of curtain and drapery hardware, which may freely slide back and forth on or. within a channel track member, and which is so designed that no fouling or jamming of draw cords supported in part on said carrier may occur.

The special objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description and from the drawing, in which one embodiment of the invention is shown by way of illustration.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a typlcal curtain or drapery installation of the type involving a channel stock track member, assumed to be spanning a window or door near the upper edge thereof, with the curtain or drape suspended from a plurality of traverse track carriers slidably mounted on the track member. A draw cord is also shown;

Fig. 2 is the section 2-2 of Fig. 1, much enlarged;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of a s1ngle traverse track carrier taken from the angle of view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the traverse track carrier of Fig. 3, part of the top of the carrier being broken away to show interior structure.

The present invention contemplates a novel traverse track carrier of the class described, and a single embodibusiness of installing curtains.

2,703,429 Patented Mar. 8, 1955 ment of the invention is shown by itself in Figs. 3 and 4.

The structure is further clarified by Fig. 2, which includes a cross section of the carrier; and the use of the carrier of the present invention is illustrated in Fig. l.

The traverse track carrier is designated in its entirety 10. The carrier is adapted to be slidably mounted on a channel stock track member, such as 11, a fragmentary side elevational view of which is seen in Fig. 1, and a cross section of which is seen in Fig. 2. The channel stock here shown by way of illustration is of C-cross section, but it will be readily understood that other cross sectional shapes for the track member might well be substituted. The actual tracks provided by the member .11 are the lips 12 and 13 of the channel stock (Fig. 2).

The employment of a channel stock track member is preferred over other types which might well provide guides for the traverse track carrier so that the draw cord 14 is housed.

The draw cord 14, which depends at one end, i. e. the right in Fig. 1, of the track member, is carried in usual manner over a pulley 15 at that end of the member and "then extends within the member to the outermost traverse track carrier. Such outermost carrier is usually of special construction, and is not assumed to be the carrier of the present invention; but may be assumed to be provided with means whereby the draw cord may be attached to it. When the curtain or drape is opened the outermost carrier moves to one end of the track member, thereby successively operating to push other carriers, such as carriers 10, toward an end of the track member. The spatial relationship of the draw cord 14 to the track member 11 is clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The carrier 10 comprises a strip 16 of material, preferably steel, bent in a particular manner, which is best illus trated in Fig. 2, and a closed hook 17, also preferably of steel. The strip 16 is bent, as shown, so that not only do two opposite ends thereof practically meet in opposition to each other, but so as to form a short tube of cross section which is roughly I-shaped. The strip 16, when bent, comprises a central lower portion 18, which may be flat, as shown. On either side of this portion the material of the strip is bent upwardly, inwardly, then, in a curve, further inwardly, upwardly and outwardly. The curves, on the two sides of the carrier, terminate in outwardly extending horizontal portions 19 and 20. At the outer edges of each of these last named portions the material of the strip is practically folded back on itself, forming two flanges 21 and 22, and the ends 23 and 24 of the flanges are brought into opposition horizontally, and, as shown, are nearly in contact. These ends are shown slightly out of contact to indicate the effect of resilience in the material tending to resist, however, slightly, the elfect of the bending operation. However, no such resilience obtained and the ends actually were 1n contact the structure would not depart from the spirit of the invention.

It will be noted in Figs, 2 and 4 that the bending of the ends of the strip toward each other in horizontal opposition provides a sort of platform at the top of the carrier; and, although a slit of insignificant width may be expected to remain in the finished product, as here indicated, for all practical purposes a smooth surface is provided so that the draw cord, coming in contact with the carrier, may ride freely thereover without danger of fouling or jamming.

The portion 18 of the strip 11 is centrally perforated at 25, and the shaft 26 of the hook 17 is passed therethrough and flattened at 27 to prevent its escape from the strip 16.

The curtain or drape 28 (Figs. 1 and 2) is suspended from the carriers 10 by means of common curtain hooks 29 in usual manner.

It may be plainly seen in Fig. 2 that the horizontal portions 19 and 20 of strip 16 are adapted to ride on the lips 12 and 13 of the track member 11. These portions are, of course, parts of the flanges 21 and 22. The structure, shown in Fig. 2, embodies lateral curvilinear forms which, only within themselves, are known in the art. However, the present invention provides a traverse track carrier adapted to slide along a track member, and

which presents a smooth upper surface for incidental engagement with the usual draw cord. pointed out that earlier carriers quite frequently foul or jam the draw cords which occasionally engage them. The reason is that the butt of the shaft of the closed hook, or eyelet, is usually headed on top of the carrier, and that the shaft is then free to ride up and down, thereby frequently snagging the draw cord. The carrier herein described presents a practically smooth supporting surface for any catenary portion of the draw cord, and the hook shaft is positively prevented from rising above such surface.

The phrase traverse track carrier; as used in the claims, invariably means a curtain or drape supporting member adapted to be slidably mounted on a track.

It has been I claim: A traverse track carrier comprising a tube-like structure, the cross-section of which is substantially I-shaped, said tube-like structure having a longitudinal slit through ;the wall thereof along the center of one flange thereof, such one flange being adapted to slide within a slotted track, and a hook secured to the center of the other flange of such I-shaped structure for securement to an element to be supported thereby.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS Denmark Dec. 27, 1937 

